Social Justice, Welfare and EU Law

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Social Justice, Welfare and EU Law

Measuring Integration in the Visegrád Countries

9781035323777 Edward Elgar Publishing
Sára Hungler, Senior Researcher, Institute for Legal Studies, Centre for Social Sciences and Associate Professor of Law, Department of Labour and Social Law, ELTE, Hungary
Publication Date: November 2024 ISBN: 978 1 03532 377 7 Extent: c 280 pp
This innovative book delves into the concept of social justice in the Visegrád countries through a rigorous examination of two demographics: working mothers and the unemployed. Using new empirical data, Sára Hungler analyses the experiences of these groups from the perspectives of redistribution, recognition and representation.

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This innovative book delves into the concept of social justice in the Visegrád countries through a rigorous examination of two demographics: working mothers and the unemployed. Using new empirical data, Sára Hungler analyses the experiences of these groups from the perspectives of redistribution, recognition and representation.

Using a multidimensional approach inspired by Nancy Fraser''s scholarship, Hungler assesses the legal and social factors shaping the experiences of vulnerable groups. She employs a mixed methodology to explore the impact of EU policy on poverty and exclusion. Ultimately, this book demonstrates that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to the many expansive, socio-political challenges in Europe.

Social Justice, Welfare and EU Law is beneficial for academics of European law, labour law, labour policy and comparative social policy. Political scientists who are interested in the core-periphery discourse will also find it to be a vital read.
Critical Acclaim
‘Sára Hungler argues convincingly that EU regulatory competence can be effectively extended to social matters. The feasibility of binding regulation, necessary for effective social integration, is demonstrated through the comparative analysis of two vulnerable groups at opposite ends of EU regulation: working mothers, a regulatory “success story” and the unemployed, still a mere “aspirational goal”. Converting this aspiration into regulation seems viable through innovative and unique research and legal methods presenting the Visegrad Countries and their specific historic backgrounds as a comparative framework for analysis. The combination of theory and illustrative practical examples will inspire both academics and practitioners of law and policy.''
– Csilla Kollonay-Lehoczky, Central European University, Austria

‘Sára Hungler powerfully demonstrates that welfare states have societal commitments to protecting working mothers and unemployed people. In Social Justice, Welfare and EU Law, Hungler’s remarkable study of Visegrád welfare laws and policies, she rekindles hope that welfare states can advance social justice.’
– Brian Gran, Case Western Reserve University, US

‘Based on Nancy Fraser’s theory of social justice, Sára Hungler''s eye-opening book delves into both the achievements and the loopholes of the European social model. Through a masterful combination of legal analysis and a social science approach, the author provides an insightful, integrated inquiry into the Visegrád Countries highlighting the current and prospective impact of EU policies aiming at reducing poverty and curbing social exclusion in the European Union.’
– Marco Biasi, University of Milan, Italy
Contents
Contents
Preface
PART I INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY
1 Introduction to social justice, welfare and EU law
PART II SETTING THE SCENE: INTEGRATING
SOCIAL JUSTICE THEORIES,
VULNERABILITY, AND THE VISEGRÁD CONTEXT
Part II introduction
2 Theorising social justice
3 Examining vulnerability across bivalent groups: Mothers
and the unemployed
4 Visegrád countries as a cluster
PART III SOCIAL INTEGRATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
5 Integration challenges in the EU
6 Specific areas of integration: Gender and unemployment
PART IV WORKING MOTHERS: EXPLORING RIGHTS
AND CHALLENGES
7 Recognition of women and mothers in EU Law
8 Redistribution of maternity benefits on EU-level
9 Representation of working mothers in the European Union
10 Gender equality and reproductive rights concerning
working mothers in the Visegrád countries
11 Maternity benefits, gender stereotypes, and family policy:
Unveiling dynamics of employment and equality in the
Visegrád context
12 Representation of mothers’ interest at the workplace and beyond
13 Obstacles in promoting gender equality in the Visegrád countries
PART V UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE SOCIAL LANDSCAPE
14 Recognition of unemployment and the unemployed from
a European perspective
15 Theme and variations: Navigating unemployment benefits
across EU Member States
16 Representation and social support of the unemployed
17 The issue of unemployment in the Visegrád countries
18 Balancing redistribution: The role of recognition in
unemployment benefit eligibility and compensation
19 Silent struggles: The absence of representation for the
unemployed
20 Challenges in achieving harmonization of unemployment
benefits at the EU level
21 Summary of results
22 Wrapping up: Addressing future challenges in social integration
Appendix
References
Index
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